1. Field of the Invention
Energy Conserving Emulsion Treating Apparatus and Method of Using the Same.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
The initial product that is ultimately transformed by a refinery into desired hydrocarbon products is frequently a heavy viscous emulsion of brine, oil and gas, with the brine and gas existing in the emulsion in both a free and emulsified state. Failure to remove all brine from oil prior to the latter being subjected to refining is highly undesirable, as the stills or pressure vessels in which the oil is heated will become caked with salt that has corrosive action on steel and is also a poor heat conductor.
In the past it has been common practice to heat such emulsions to high temperatures to lower the viscosity of the emulsion. The heating lowers the viscosity to the extent that free gas and brine separate from the emulsion. Further heating of the emulsion to a still higher temperature tends to coalesce the remaining emulsified brine into drops of sufficient weight as to move downwardly through the oil by gravity to a brine collecting area.
The final coalescing of the emulsified brine as above described has the operational disadvantage that at the best is a time consuming operation, requires that the oil be held stationary in a large quantity as the coalescing takes place, and also that the oil be heated to a sufficiently high temperature to reduce the viscosity thereof so that coalescing of the emulsified droplets will take place. The maintenance of a large quantity of oil at a relatively high temperature at which such coalescing of brine droplets will take place results in a substantial expenditure of heat energy which is highly undesirable at the present time when there is a shortage of both gas and oil for heating purposes.
A major object of the present invention is to provide a method of treating a heavy viscous emulsion to obtain a substantially complete separation of brine and gas from the oil in a shorter length of time than with previously available methods, and with a substantially lesser consumption of energy.
Another object of the invention is to effect the coalescing of droplets of brine in the oil by subjecting the droplets to a high tension electrical field.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out the method that includes a reservoir partially defined by a vertical wall serving to automatically maintain the liquid level of the oil being treated by a high potential electrical field at such elevation that the high tension electrodes are at all times immersed in the oil, and the wall preventing comingling of substantially brine-free oil in the reservoir with oil containing emulsified brine that is being subjected to electrical treatment.